Can I Upgrade My Electric Scooter To Make It Faster?

This is a question that I have heard so many times it hurts my ears to hear. "Can I mod the scooter to make it faster, more powerful or get better range?" In a nutshell, yes it is possible. The more important question however, is it worth doing? Well... lets discuss!

So for a start there is a big difference between power/speed and range. While it's true that generally speaking with higher power scooters come higher range capabilities. You don't have to upgrade power to get extra range. 

Extra range is a lot cheaper and easier to attain than extra power. Adding a secondary battery can effectively double the stock range of your scooter however there are many factors to consider. The most important is where the second battery is going to go?

For a battery to be effective in adding a reasonable amount of range it must be around the same size as your current battery. Most scooters are designed to be as small and lightweight as possible which leaves little to no room for an extra battery. I have in the past fabricated deck lifters to add extra space inside for a second battery on a GTR style chassis. Most people however take the stem mounting road.

When stem mounting the battery must be fully encased in a strong protective and waterproof casing to avoid it being physically or environmentally damaged. The battery itself is a considerable weight and added to a case makes for a substantial amount of extra weight added to the overall scooter. This extra weight will change the dynamics of the scooter and thus the way it handles. The higher on the stem its mounted the more this effect comes into play. In addition to this the extra weight also adds pressure to the steering bearing, front suspension and folding mechanism/neck. It is, in my opinion, a recipe for disaster and I would reccomend avoiding the stem mounting option.

When joining batteries you should also keep in mind/do research into the following.

• The difference between joining batteries in parallel or series.
• Even balance when charging/discharging.
• The risks of joining a used battery with a new battery.
• The quality of the secondary BMS.
• Isolator switches.

As for power... well that's a total different story. While there are some minor modifications that can be done to increase power, all of them will void warranty, all put extra pressure on running gear and all will only give a small increase in overall power. The risk and reward just don't add up. 

Time and time again I've seen the same story unfold. People assume a bigger motor will increase power but unfortunately it won't. The amount of power going to the motors is dictated by the power controllers. So once you've upgraded motors you need to upgrade power controllers to drive them. Now an upgraded power controller means a new display and usually a bigger voltage battery to power them. At this point you've bought pretty much the entire electrical system out of a more powerful scooter and usually at a cost close to just buying that faster scooter brand new. 

Ok so we've gotten this far... no turning back now! We have a pile of premium parts and an old crappy scooter. At this point you either need to pay someone to install these parts to the old scooter or attempt to go it alone. Very quickly you're going to run into compatibility issues that will require major modifications to get around. 

While a lot of scooters use generic parts this is only between scooters of similar specifications. In reality each scooters parts have been designed for that scooter and that scooter only. Upgraded parts from a bigger scooter are going to be bigger and hence not fit. Motors won't fit between swing arms or under guards. Batteries won't fit in decks. The list goes on and each is a complex engineering task to tackle. 

By this stage most people have admitted defeat and cut their losses. Other people just can't let go and through an amazing amount of cost, frustration, time and challenges to overcome they manage to pull it off. A fully modded and upgraded scooter capable of speeds well in excess of stock. Just one problem left... The chassis of the old scooter was only ever designed to handle to old amount of power and torque. So the modded scooter goes hard and impresses everyone for a while before parts of the chassis begin to fail.

Bit like slapping a supercharger on a lawn mower. Sure it'll cut through small trees but you'll probably only ever get one good mow out of it before it blows up. 

Long story short if you're looking down the road of upgrading you should put some serious thought into it before committing to anything. In almost all cases it's far easier and cheaper to just save and buy a scooter that will do the speed/range you want it to. 

Hopefully this read will save you a lot of time and money on your scooting journey. Be sure to check out our other articles for more helpful information and tips. 

As usual the information in these articles is based on the experiences I've had over my years working in the scooter industry. While I may be knowledgeable I do not consider myself an expert by any stretch. I do my best to keep information accurate however if you believe I am wrong, have your own point to add or even just want to share a story then be sure to let me know in the comments section.